MKT 389 Strategic Marketing and Planning
May 2014
Tutorial Exercises
Questions
Introduction to Marketing Strategy
Chapter 1/2
1.
Discuss Table 1.1 from the perspective of your
firm – giving examples of how your firm might be responding to the many factors
listed.
2.
Box 1.1 provides a framework for assessing a
firm. You are to discuss these five key components and give some examples/ways
your firm might respond to each of these components.
3.
Discuss some of the key issues and factors
associated with a firm’s decision relating to its product portfolio. You should discuss
the product portfolio of your firm.
4.
Discuss the concept of competitive positioning
and assess/describe what you think is the competitive positioning of your firm.
The Marketing Environment – Customer Analysis
Chapter 4
1.
Discuss the five key categories/groups involved
in the customer purchase process – as described in Figure 4.1. You should give
examples of each of these five groups as it relates to your firm.
2.
Discuss both (a) the type of market research
information your firm would need to have and (b) some of the preferred/better ways
your firm might conduct its market research.
3.
Discuss the stages in the market research process,
and describe how your firm has or could use the process.
4.
Case study p. 103 of text: Balderton plugs into
teenagers’ attention spans
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The Marketing Environment - Competitor Analysis
Chapter 5
1.
Discuss the importance of competitor analysis
and discuss the key information your firm should have on its key competitors.
2.
Discuss some of the tools and approaches you
might use when trying to better understand your competitor's current and potential
future strategies.
3.
Discuss Figure 5.9, and how your firm could use
these principles of choosing good competitors
4.
Discuss the concept of benchmarking, and explain
how your firm does or could use it.
Organisational Resources
Chapter 6
1.
Discuss the key components of the resource based
view of strategy and how this will shape a firms marketing strategy.
2.
Figure 6.2 provides three key potential value
creating disciples. You are to apply this to your firm – giving examples of both
current and possible future tactics – in each of the three categories.
3.
Using Figure 6.5 you are to give some examples
of the “marketing assets” of your firm – and this should be done within each of the
four categories.
4.
Dynamic marketing capabilities are becoming g
more important in today’s business environment. You are to discuss each of the
three key aspects of this (Figure 6.7) - giving examples from your firm.
Market Segmentation and Positioning
Chapter 8
1.
Discuss the key benefits associated with market
segmentation and some of the problems/major issues a firm might experience when
segmenting markets and making target market decisions.
2.
Using your firm you are to outline some of the
key approaches/factors used when undertaking market segmentation.
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3.
In recent years there has been increased interest in
behavioural approaches to segmenting markets – both consumer and business
markets. You are to discuss why this has occurred and outline some of the
behavioural characteristics your firm might consider when segmenting markets.
4.
You are to discuss the key principles of
competitive positioning and some of the positioning risks and errors (Figure 8.3)
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Chapter 11
1.
On what basis has your firm achieved
differentiation? Discuss the characteristics of the type of differentiation and how the firm
has done this.
2.
Discuss Figures 11.3 and 11.4, and how these
might relate to your firm
3.
Once a firm has created a competitive advantage,
how to they ensure that it is sustainable? What has your firm done to sustain their
competitive advantage.
4.
Discuss offensive and defensive competitive
strategies and explain how these have been used by your firm.
Competing Through Innovation
Chapter 13
1.
You are to discuss the types of new products
(Figure 13.6) and to suggest some examples that your firm might consider. This
might require suggesting some advantages and disadvantages of these options.
2.
You are to discuss some of the reasons why the
success rate of new product innovation/development is often low – giving some
ideas that your firm might consider to improve its success rate in this area.
3.
Discuss the new product development process
and explain how your company may have used this in the past, or how they might
approach it in the future.
4.
Discuss different innovation strategies, and how
these can impact on an industry. You might explain how you firm’s industry has
been impacted, of if your firm has used these strategies.
Competing Through Superior Service and Customer Relationships
Chapter 14
1.
Discuss the relationship marketing ladder and
outline ways your firm might potentially move customers “up the ladder”.
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2.
Discuss Figure 14.5 and provide some ideas to
your firm about how it might (a) better measure customer satisfaction and (b) ways
to maybe improve customer satisfaction.
3.
Discuss the concept that goods and services have
both a tangible and intangible element. Relate this to the goods/services of your firm.
How can this make it difficult for the firm? Does the firm do anything to address this
eg. Quality control, service training
4.
Discuss how a firm might measure and monitor
customer satisfaction. You might also wish to explain figure 14.10. How does your
firm approach this?
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